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Why Denmark Is The Cycling Capital Of Europe

The quiet European country of Denmark, and its modern capital city Copenhagen, cycling is a way of life for the majority of citizens.

The culture around riding your bike every day (on your commute, running errands and generally getting around) is somewhat different compared to some other countries, even to people in neighbouring countries and those nearby like ourselves in the UK.

It’s no coincidence that this country is home to one of the happiest populations on the planet, and the friendly culture in the country helps promote cycling as a pleasant and desirable alternative to driving. Cycling is not always respected like it is in places like Denmark, and as a result we aren’t doing everything we could to help the environment and help people maintain a healthier routine.

It also helps that the infrastructure on the country, especially in Copenhagen itself, lends itself perfectly to cyclists. The roads have actually been designed to support the relatively high numbers of cyclists around, and the relatively low number of cars and other vehicles.

Dedicated traffic lights and cycle lines for push bike and electric bike riders are everywhere, so there is actually an organised and safe system in place. A subtle divide separates cars from bikes, although it is deliberately not too distinct so as to retain the perfect amount of awareness and caution on both sides.

Safety is a key point of comparison, because it’s fair to say that many people in countries like the UK know full well the benefits of riding a bike, whether electrically-assisted or not. Unfortunately they feel they’re simply not safe enough on the roads, and rightly so. Danish bikes tend to features more consistent and advanced safety features, although they are relatively simple.

For example, almost every single bike you’ll see will have magnet-powered LED lights fitted to the wheels which constantly get charged up while riding and never need their batteries replacing. Simple things like this could be hugely beneficial to cyclists elsewhere if the general public were interested enough to adopt them, so we really hope to see more of that attitude in the near future.